


Life Goes On

by DaisyDogOx



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyDogOx/pseuds/DaisyDogOx
Summary: After graduation, Akira goes back to Tokyo for the summer, hoping to reconnect with his friends. Instead he finds that after a year without their leader, things have fallen apart. And what's more, they expect him to fix things.So he does his best.But he's not Joker anymore, the charismatic and cunning leader of the Phantom Thieves. He's just Akira Kurusu, a boy from the country who's in way over his head again.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 73





	1. Escape

He tossed his bag aside and flopped back onto the bed. Morgana jumped off his perch on top of the bookshelf, knocking over a few photos in the process, and sat next to him.

“What’s wrong?”

He rolled over, refusing to face the cat. “I graduated today.”

“So? That means you have the whole summer ahead of you to do what you want!”

“Everyone else knows what they want to do, whether they’re applying to college or just going straight into a job.”

“I thought you wanted to become a Diet member? You seemed so excited whenever you worked with Toranosuke last year.”

“That would mean going back to Tokyo again.”

“You don’t want to see the others?” he asked, swiping a paw over his ear.

“Of course I want to see them.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“Akira!” came a voice from downstairs. “We’re going out to dinner to celebrate your graduation, where do you want to go?”

“...Oh.”

“Things are already tense between us because I was gone for a year and came back a different person,” he muttered. “I don’t want to think about what would happen if I went back for college and only came home for the holidays, or didn’t come back at all.”

“Can’t you try and talk to them and tell them how you feel?”

“ _Akira_! Do you want to go out or not?”

“They don’t even give me a chance.”

He winced. “You should probably go down before she comes up here.”

He picked himself up off the bed and dragged himself downstairs, with Morgana curling up where he’d been. The conversation started out quiet, but before long voices got louder and tones got higher.

“Every time we try to talk about that year you refuse. All I know are names you’ve mentioned in passing but you can’t tell us how you met these people or what you did with them. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore!”

It was silent after that, and Morgana was about ready to go check on things when the door slammed open and Akira stormed over to his closet, clearly looking for something in particular.

“Hey, you okay?”

He found whatever it was and pulled a suitcase out.

“Akira?”

He began tossing clothes into it over his shoulder.

“Don’t just ignore me!”

He seemed to have forgotten that the cat was there.

“I asked if you were okay. I heard some of what happened down there.”

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “But I need to get out of here, at least for a little bit.”

“Where are you going?”

He picked up the pictures Morgana had knocked over earlier, staring at each one before putting them in their place again. “Back to them.”

The cat frowned. “You’ll just make things worse between you and your parents.”

He gave no indication that he heard, and just kept stuffing things in the suitcase.

“How long do you think you’ll stay? And how do you plan to pay for this?”

“I still have some money saved up from when we were acting as Phantom Thieves, plus extra from that job I picked up at the convenience store.”

“You didn’t answer my question about how long—”

“I don’t think I’ll tell anyone, I want to surprise them.”

He was in his own world, or maybe just choosing to ignore Morgana.

“That’s it then,” he said suddenly, “I’m coming with you. Someone has to keep an eye on you, and I can’t trust any of them.”

“You could’ve just said you wanted to see everyone,” he said, trying to hide his smile.

“That’s not what this is about!”

He grabbed his phone. “There’s a train that leaves tomorrow morning, so we’ll catch that. I’ll pay the pet fare so you don’t have to stay in my bag for a few hours.”

“I don’t want to see them,” he insisted. “This is just so you stay out of trouble.”

He had to admit, though, it was nice to see Akira smile again.

* * *

It was a day just like any other at Leblanc, with Futaba doing dishes and keeping an eye on the counter while Sojiro stepped out.

The door swung open and she perked up, leaning out to see who it was. “Welcome to Leblanc, take a seat and we’ll be with you— oh, it’s just you.”

Sojiro sighed. “Don’t sound so disappointed by that.”

“Nobody ever comes here, I was hoping I’d actually get to do something instead of just sitting back here.”

“You’re not supposed to be sitting, you’re supposed to be cleaning.”

“I was cleaning, but then it got boring.”

“Why am I even paying you?”

“You’re _not_.”

“I’m feeding you, aren’t I?”

“Because you’re my guardian,” she grumbled. “You’re legally obligated to.”

“Just go finish the dishes,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “One of the regulars should be showing up soon enough.”

She disappeared into the back again and he leaned against the counter, grabbing the paper. There was some kind of story about Masayoshi Shido and his sentence, and how all of his crimes had finally been acknowledged.

He gave a small smile. Futaba had only improved since the incident last year, and he knew it wasn’t only because she’d had her heart stolen… even if he still wasn’t sure what that meant. Sure, she’d regressed a bit after Akira left, but the others had helped her again and now she was able to help out around the store and even go around the quieter parts of the city on her own.

The bell above the door rang and he kept his gaze down at the paper. “You’re earlier than usual.”

“You were… expecting me?”

He finally picked up his head and his jaw nearly hit the floor. “...Futaba?”

“I’m cleaning, I’m cleaning!” she snapped, hands thrown up as she came out of the kitchen. Then she saw him and he gave a half wave.

 _“Akira!”_ she cried, hugging him tightly. When she finally let go and stepped back she realized she’d gotten his coat covered in dish soap. “...Sorry.”

He laughed and brushed it off. “It’s fine, that was worth it.”

“So, you going to explain why you’re here out of the blue?” Sojiro asked, one eyebrow raised.

“I graduated yesterday and have the summer to myself, so I wanted to come back and see everyone.”

The man gave him a once over. “They not feeding you back home?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“You were supposed to be _relaxing_ after getting out of juvenile hall.”

Futaba tried to stifle a laugh. “Akira doesn’t know the meaning of the word relax. When he was here he had all these elaborate plans laid out for what he was gonna do every day and who he was gonna visit, and Mona would end up forcing him to go to bed.”

“Speaking of, what happened to the cat?”

Morgana chose that moment to pop his head out of the bag. “You’re smothering me in here!”

“Mona!”

His eyes widened as he saw Futaba and he tried to burrow himself into the bag again, but she grabbed it from Akira and dug him out.

“He won’t admit it, but he missed everyone too,” Akira said.

“Oh! I have to let everyone know you’re here!” She rushed upstairs, still holding the cat.

“So really, why the sudden trip? You could’ve chosen any time over the summer but you showed up the day after graduation. Everything okay at home?”

“The year away was rough on my parents,” he said quietly.

“And this is supposed to fix things? You disappearing on them again?”

“I didn’t disappear.”

“Kid, you lived in my attic for a year. I know you probably told them you were leaving, didn’t give them time to say anything, and then disappeared the next day.”

Sojiro was too perceptive for his own good. “They know where I am, and that’s what’s important.”

The conversation was cut short as Futaba came down again. “Everyone should be here soon enough. You want some coffee? Sojiro’s been teaching me and I’ve gotten pretty good!”

“It’s drinkable, at least,” the man said under his breath. “For how much of a genius she is, she’s not great with her hands. I’ve missed having such a quick learner around.”

“I need concrete measurements! Don’t just tell me to add a ‘pinch’ of this, whatever that means!”

“Coffee would be great.”

Futaba grinned and hurried behind the counter to choose her beans, while Sojiro flipped the sign to _Closed_.

“What did you tell everyone that you’re sure they’ll come so quick?” Akira asked as he watched Futaba measure things out.

“Emergency, come ASAP,” she said without looking up.

“And nothing else?”

“They wouldn’t have responded otherwise.”

Sure enough, Ann and Ryuji came only a few minutes later, both clearly winded.

“What’s the emergency? Is Boss alright?”

He looked back at the girl. “And you really didn’t think there was any other way to let them know?”

“I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Your coffee’s done.”

He sighed and slid off the chair. “There’s no emergency.”

“You’re telling me I ran… all that way for _nothing_?” Ryuji said between gasps for breath.

“You’re ignoring the important part,” Futaba said, gesturing at Akira.

The boy waved at him. “Hey, Akira. No, but you made me run here for— wait, _Akira?!”_

“Now he gets it.” She slid two glasses of water towards them, and they gratefully downed them.

Ann was the first to speak again. “How long are you here for?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Before school.”

“We have to do so much together! I’ve been making a list ever since you left of stuff we didn’t get to do.”

“Yeah, but _why_ are you here?” Ryuji asked.

He told them the story, although in the middle of it Makoto, Haru and Yusuke showed up and he had to start over. Sojiro passed out coffee and sodas among them as they talked.

“What have the rest of you been up to since last year?” he asked as he finished.

They went around, describing things like scholarships and part-time jobs, and what their plans were for university. The biggest news was that Haru was going to study abroad for a semester to learn new business techniques and develop better recipes for the café she wanted to open.

Makoto smiled. “It’s been awhile since we’ve all been able to just talk like this. Things changed after you left.”

He laughed without humor. “Things changed for me, too.”

“I’m stopping you right there,” Ann said sharply. “I forbid any and all talk of depressing stuff, at least on your very first day back.”

“Fair enough.”

“Going back to my list idea, though, we’ve gotta set aside a few days to do this stuff. With everyone would be preferable, but I know that we all have jobs and summer assignments.”

“Already finished mine,” Futaba said without looking up from her phone. “I did the packet while the teachers were going over the instructions or something, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Sojiro bristled at the counter. “You’re supposed to _listen_ to your teachers, not do your homework while they’re talking.”

“It’s not my fault I’m smarter than the students and staff put together! They called on me and I still knew the answers, anyway.”

“What kind of stuff did you have on your list?” Makoto asked, trying to steer the conversation back.

“It’s mostly day trips and stuff that were a bit too far last year… not to mention, Akira wasn’t allowed out of the city with his probation. Going to the zoo in Yokohama and stuff like that.”

“I’m sure we can work one or two of them into our schedules.”

The clock on the wall chimed and they all glanced at it.

Yusuke was the first to speak. “The last train will be running soon, and I know I’m not the only one who can’t miss it.”

“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Ryuji promised.

Ann cleared her throat. “I have a modeling gig out of town the next few days, actually.”

“And I have an internship all next week.”

“We could always text and figure out a day when we’re all free…”

“It’s fine,” Akira said, “I’m just happy you all want to see me. We don’t have to meet up all together, it’s not like we have to save the world this time around. We can just meet up as friends.”

They all agreed, though the tension in the air didn’t completely disappear, even as they all left for the station. Something had changed since he’d been gone.

“Speaking of getting home, where are you going to be staying while you’re in the city?” Sojiro asked, arms crossed.

He froze. He’d been so focused on finding a train ticket that got him out of the house as fast as possible that all other things had slipped his mind. “In… the attic?”

Futaba burst out laughing. “You came all the way here and didn’t even have a plan?”

“You’re lucky I missed you,” the man muttered. “Futaba, I’m closing up. You coming back now or are you going to stay with him for a bit?”

“I’ll stay.”

“Alright, you know where the key is. Lock up when you leave.”

“So… does Sojiro realize he just asked if you wanted to spend time alone with a boy in his room?” Akira asked as they dragged his bag upstairs.

“He sees you as more of a brother to me, if anything,” she scoffed. “Why, you gonna make a move on me?”

“ _No_ , I was just worried he was going senile,” he said with a grin.

They laughed and fell into a comfortable silence as they unpacked.

The room was practically untouched. One of the shelves had been cleared of knickknacks and filled with complicated looking books again, and the TV and game system had been unplugged and moved into the corner.

“Why is this stuff still up here?”

“Sojiro would never admit it, but he was sad when you left. At first he just couldn’t bring himself to get rid of your stuff, and then it just became easier to move only what he needed. Besides, he got rid of a lot of junk after you cleaned up and there wasn’t nearly as much to put back.”

They finished putting everything back in its proper place and he wiped the dust off his clothes. “You should probably get home before Sojiro assumes the worst.”

“Yeah… probably.” She still hesitated.

“Everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, it’s just… nothing. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Wanna hang out tomorrow? We can set up the console again and you can show me if you’ve gotten any better at Punch Ouch.”

He gave a fond smile. “Yeah, maybe. If Ryuji and any of the others come over we could make a tournament out of it.”

She was halfway down the stairs when she froze. “Akira.”

He turned back.

“...I’m glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back.”

“No, you don’t understand. Things… changed after you left. Maybe you can fix them.”

“Changed?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Then she was gone and he frowned.

“That was weird,” Morgana said, squeezing out from under the bed.

“Is that where you were all day?”

“I couldn’t take any more of Futaba’s hugs.”

“She said things changed,” he said, more to himself. “Did it seem that way to you too?”

“Are you kidding? Even I could feel it.”

“I was afraid of that.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at it just long enough to see the name before muting it.

“You don’t usually get calls,” the cat said offhandedly.

“Must’ve been a wrong number. Let’s get to bed, I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be busy.”

* * *

He was woken up the next morning by the smell of coffee and curry, something he hadn’t realized he’d missed until that moment.

He pulled on his clothes from the day before and hurried downstairs. “I can help with anything that’s left.”

“Relax, kid, I’m not putting you to work. Yet, anyway. You can enjoy a plate first.”

He gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

They were silent for awhile, the only sounds those of silverware on plates and coffee brewing. Finally Sojiro spoke again as Akira got up and started on the dishes. “You’re a lot more expressive than I remember.”

“How so?”

“Hell, you barely showed any emotion last year. Freaked me out a bit, the way you just took everything that was handed to you without so much as batting an eye. Now you’re actually talking and smiling. Did the familiarity of home fix that?”

He almost fumbled the mug he was cleaning. “Yeah, I think being home helped,” he said, refusing to look at the man. “You know, Futaba said something weird last night.”

“She came home upset. You didn’t try anything funny with her, did you? Because I’ll put you out on the streets so fast you won’t even know what happened.”

“Of course not! No, she just said something about how everyone changed after I left. I was wondering if you noticed anything.”

He sighed. “So you’ve noticed it, then? It’s not my place to talk about it, but--”

“Morning!” Ryuji yelled. “Am I the first one here?”

“You’re here earlier than expected,” he managed.

“Didn’t you see the messages in the group chat?”

He’d muted and subsequently deleted the group chat months ago, when the silences between messages got to be too long and any conversations just had him feeling like an outsider.

“Okay, well, I told everyone we were meeting up here at nine. If they can’t make it, that’s fine, but I have something fun planned today.”

He slid into a seat at the counter. “Hey, Boss, can I have a coffee? A decaf, with lots of sugar.”

Akira did a double take. “You drink coffee now?”

“Not often, but I don’t completely hate the taste anymore. Just needs a lot of stuff in it.”

“And you’re not dyeing your hair anymore.”

He ran a hand through it. “I don’t have any more adults to piss off, and Ann isn’t getting any shit for looking the way she does, so I can let it grow out again. The dye was really bad for it, anyway, I couldn’t just dye it all black again. Gotta let it grow naturally this time so I’m stuck with this in-between phase.”

“That’s… good.”

He went back to washing dishes and hoped his smile didn’t look too forced as Ryuji continued to tell him about all the things he’d done in the last year.

“But the main thing is I got this part-time job with great pay! That’s what today’s all about, I’m treating everyone to make up for all the times I had to rely on the group just to pay for stuff like groceries.”

“What about school? Do you think you’ll attend in the fall?”

“Yeah, man, I’ve applied for a ton of scholarships! For sports and grades and all kinds of stuff, so I’m bound to get _something_.”

Akira thought he heard his voice waver at the end. “What are you going for?”

He laughed and rubbed at his neck. “I want to coach, actually. Not like a professional team or anything, but for a school.”

“Like Kamoshida--”

“But better,” he agreed. “I wanna get kids interested in sports and have them play well, and not through shady shit like threats or violence. I figure… it’s the next best thing, since even if I make a team at university, my leg probably won’t last too long.”

“I think it’s an admirable goal,” Sojiro said, setting the cup down in front of him. “Ryuji actually told me about it awhile back but wasn’t sure how to make it happen with his financial situation, so I told him about scholarships.”

“Yeah, I thought they were just for getting good grades, but there’s more to it than that! But, y’know, I also worked hard my last year in case the sports ones don’t work out.”

The bell above the door rang and Makoto, Yusuke, and Futaba took a seat.

“What’s the plan for today? Punch Ouch tournament like we said?”

Ryji grinned and held up a wad of bills. “Something better.”


	2. Suspicion

“Y’know I wasn’t expecting much out of yakuza movie, but that was pretty good,” Ryuji admitted. “Maybe I’ll have to give more of them a shot. Got any recommendations, Makoto?”

“Why are you asking me? Futaba’s probably the one who’s seen the most movies between us all.”

“‘Cause I saw you mouthing the words to that big speech in the climax.”

She froze for a second but recovered quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“C’mon, I’m not gonna make fun of a girl for liking yakuza movies. I think it’s pretty cool, actually. Is that why you took aikido for awhile?”

She lunged at him but he jumped out of the way and her soda, which she’d intended to dump on him, splashed Yusuke instead. “This doesn’t taste like real oranges,” was all he had to say.

Even Akira burst out laughing at that and he pulled some tissues out of his bag and offered them to the boy, though they did little to help.

“What’s the next stop after Yusuke doesn’t smell like fake oranges?” Futaba asked. “Because if we don’t have anything planned, the arcade in Akihabara just revamped some of their games and I need to defend my high scores.”

“You still can’t win on Gun About, though,” Ryuji teased. “You’ll always be third best when it comes to that game.”

“I’ll beat them one of these days!”

“Do Oda and Takekuma still hold the top spots?” Akira asked.

“You’ll just have to see for yourself. Come on, Yusuke, I’ll buy you a shirt at the train station or something.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how are you paying for all of this?” Makoto asked. “I mean no offense, but last year you made financial decisions that were… not the best.”

“Yeah, you were almost as bad as Yusuke,” Futaba said under her breath.

“I told you guys, didn’t I? My new job pays great so I’m treating you all to make up for the times I had to mooch off you just to pay for food and stuff.”

“And what job is this that you have so much money to throw around?”

“Y’know, just a part-time job… I’ve just been putting in a lot of hours and saving up while we were in school.”

“Your avoiding the question just makes me more suspicious, you know. You haven’t gotten wrapped up in something dangerous, have you?”

“You mean like-- _No!_ You think I’m working for someone like _Kaneshiro_?”

“I don’t know what I think, I just know that you never mentioned a job and suddenly you’re treating us to things you’d never be able to afford normally.”

He laughed bitterly. “I’m glad you guys think I’m too stupid or carefree or whatever to actually work hard and try to repay all that you’ve done for me. Yusuke, come on.”

“Where are we--”

“I said come on!”

He stormed off and the boy followed him, and Akira was left with the girls. Makoto was scowling and muttering to herself.

“He might not be the smartest of the group, but I don’t think he’d get himself into something dangerous just to have some spending money. He saw firsthand what kind of business Kaneshiro was running and risked everything to stop it.”

“You haven’t been here for a year. A lot’s changed since you’ve been gone,” she said sourly.

“Maybe so, but I still know what kind of person my friend is. And I’m telling you that you’re overreacting.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Maybe you’re right. I took too many classes on criminal justice this past year and I’m seeing patterns that aren’t really there.”

“You can work things out with him at the station.”

“Speaking of, we’ll miss our train if we don’t hurry,” Futaba said suddenly, startling the two of them.

They ran and made it aboard just before the doors closed, but didn’t see Ryuji or Yusuke. They must’ve been in another car, which Makoto didn’t seem too upset about.

Akira chose to ignore that and instead shared Futaba’s earbuds and let her teach him about all the music he’d missed while he was gone.

Their stop came up much faster with a distraction and the two of them would have missed it if not for Makoto, who all but yanked them off the train. “Well, Futaba, you know this area better than anyone. Lead the way.”

She gave him a smug grin and marched out of the station, and nearly walked right into a concrete pillar. The girl just sighed. “Akira, do you want to lead instead?”

They made it to the arcade without any more incidents and found Ryuji and Yusuke waiting outside. “About time you showed up! We were starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost.”

Makoto cleared her throat. “Ryuji, I’m sorry--”

“Just forget it. We both said things we shouldn’t have. Let’s just have some fun.”

Futaba didn’t need to be told twice and hurried in, and they found her a moment later already in the middle of a racing game.

“You weren’t kidding about the revamp,” Akira breathed. He barely recognized the place, save for the Gun About setup in the back. There was a crowd around it and he joined, watching as two people played. It was a co-op match rather than a versus, he noticed. Other people seemed to be discussing their strategies and he realized they were _all_ planning for co-op.

Ryuji and Makoto joined him and the boy grinned. “Everyone wants a chance at the leaderboard now more than ever. There are rumors that the new setup includes some glitches to boost your score a ton, but Futaba and I have never seen it.”

“The glitches exist,” someone in front of them insisted. “There’s _no way_ those top scores are legit. There’s gotta be some kind of hack.”

“They’re legit,” Futaba said, appearing beside them.

“And how would you know?”

“‘Cause I’m one of them, and I don’t use _cheats_.”

The boy scowled. “Prove it. You can take my slot.”

She cracked her knuckles and grabbed the gun. “Inari!” she called. “Get over here, I need a partner!”

Yusuke looked horrified and she handed the gun to Ryuji and waded into the crowd again, returning a moment later with the boy’s arm in a death grip.

“I’ve never played this before--”

“You don’t have to, I’m doing a versus match. I just hate the CPU’s and would rather crush a real opponent.”

Ryuji gave a sharp bark of laughter and tried to cover it with a cough.

Then the match started. Yusuke was still looking for the best way to hold his gun, although he did admittedly better than Akira expected. Futaba, on the other hand, had yet to miss a shot. The crowd cheered and even Akira was impressed.

She began to slip up as the clock counted down and more and more enemies began to spawn. “Inari, c’mon, do _something_ at least!” she snapped.

Her yell jolted him out of his daze and he fumbled the gun, and the monsters overwhelmed the two of them. She fought as best as she could but her remaining lives were quickly depleted.

Finally, her score flashed across the screen and the crowd screamed. Even with a terrible end to the round, she’d managed to take fifth.

She breathed a sigh of relief and entered her usual alias, ALBB. Akira grinned, although it turned to slack-jawed awe as he saw the other usernames on the leaderboard. SKMT was another he recognized, a nickname Ryuji had told him about last year. Alibaba claimed third as well, with second above that being KING. But that wasn’t what shocked him. The top scorer was a name he was all too familiar with: KRSU.

“I only beat Shinya _once_.”

“And he refuses to let anyone else take that spot,” Ryuji said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “Whenever the King plays, he has someone keep an eye on his score and let him know if he’s getting close to yours. He doesn’t want anyone to erase it. Not that it happens often, of course. Your score is still almost unbeatable!”

He stretched and popped his neck. “Want to see if you’re better than the King?”

“I know I’m better than him, I’m worried I won’t be able to beat you!”

He smirked. “C’mon, I’m rusty, you might win this time.”

He still hesitated.

“You come within thirty thousand points of my score and I’ll buy lunch today. How’s that sound?”

Ryuji laughed and shook his head. “Fine, I’ll take you on.”

“Alright, watch this!” Futaba yelled. “You’re about to see the current champion take on the fourth place record holder, it’s Kurusu versus Sakamoto!”

At that the crowd nearly doubled in size and he glanced at Ryuji just long enough to see him sweating. “Can’t back out now.”

“Remind me to kick your ass later.”

It was clear from the beginning what the outcome would be. Ryuji was good, but Akira was better. He wasted no movements and nailed every enemy with nearly perfect shots, racking up combo after combo. Ryuji accepted his fate after his score was barely a quarter his friend’s and just focused on the enemies that kept creeping up along the sides. He looked over at Akira and realized he was smiling, even among the insults and screams of the crowd. He’d changed a lot in only a year.

The match eventually came to an end and their scores were totaled up. Ryuji didn’t make the leaderboard, and Akira placed third. “Told you I was rusty.”

Futaba scowled as her name was wiped from the board. “Apparently not rusty enough if you still wiped the floor with us.”

“This means Ryuji buys lunch, yes?”

“I should have you pay for it, since you did even worse than I did, Yusuke!”

“I never accepted Futaba’s challenge, I was merely roped into this.”

“Food! Food! Food!” the girl chanted.

“ _Fine_ , but only because I already had something planned!”

* * *

He looked up from his food to see Futaba glaring at him. “Can I help you?”

“Ryuji, you’re scaring me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not supposed to have taste. You’re not supposed to know about popular sushi trends, you’re supposed to be the lovable idiot of the group who gets us into trouble and the brains has to get us out!”

“...Is that how you see me?”

“The aloof artsy one is supposed to know about trends, so if you take over that title then that means Yusuke becomes the group’s nerd, and that leaves me without a role!”

“No, go back to the idiot part for a second.”

She didn’t get to continue her rant as the waiter brought over the last of their order.

“So… what is this?” Makoto asked. “I’m not up to date on trends, food related or otherwise.”

“It appears to be a wasabi roll,” Yusuke said. “It’s grown in popularity recently because of how spicy it’s said to be. Few people seem to understand and so it continues to be a trend, especially among friends who want to see who can stomach it.”

They all looked at Ryuji, who was still eating his other roll. “If we can handle Boss’ curry, I think we can handle this.”

Makoto sighed. “This is a terrible idea.” She signaled for the waiter to get them more water while Futaba dished out a piece for everyone.

At last they were ready and they all looked at one another. “On three.”

“One…”

“Two.”

“Three!”

They all took a bite and Akira watched as their eyes widened all at once. It was unlike anything he’d felt before, so much worse than even the time he tried to make curry and added almost triple the amount of spices by mistake. The more he chewed it the worse the pain got. He tried to swallow it but it was as though his body wouldn’t allow it.

He looked around the table and everyone had tears streaming down their cheeks. None of them could speak, but Ryuji gave him a look that could only be read as _I’m not going to live through this, and I’m so sorry that neither are you._

Finally he choked it down and tried to take a deep breath, only for it to bring the burning into his lungs. He started to cough and all but ran to the bathroom, with Makoto and Ryuji not far behind him.

When he could finally breathe again, he wiped the tears away and turned to his friend. “Is this supposed to be payback for me beating you at Gun About?”

“I had… _no idea_ it was going to be this bad,” he managed. “They’re… They’re gonna kill me, aren’t they? They’ll never let me live for doing this to them.”

He laughed, still coughing. “They just might.”

They returned to the table to find that Makoto was still gone. Futaba nodded at them.

“What are you eating? Did they bring something over to help with the spice?”

“Turns out, once you get through the first piece, your throat is kind of scrubbed raw and it doesn’t hurt nearly as much the second time around.”

“You’re eating _more_?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good. I’d be willing to do this again.”

“I’m not entirely convinced she’s human,” Yusuke said flatly.

Makoto finally came back and gave Ryuji an absolutely murderous look. “You’re going to _wish_ you’d just gotten some soda dumped on you earlier.”

“...I was afraid of that.”

Akira waved down the waiter and pulled out his wallet but Ryuji stopped him.

“This was my idea and my fault, I’ll pay for it.”

He glanced over and noticed that the boy’s wallet was still pretty full, even after treating them to a movie and snacks, and even paying for Futaba’s games at the arcade. He wanted to believe what his friend had said, but it was getting harder. Maybe Makoto hadn’t just been imagining things.

“I think this has been enough excitement for one day,” the girl said. “All in favor of going home?”

Every hand went up.

* * *

Akira spent the train ride lost in thought, going through the events of the day in his head.

Makoto and Yusuke got off at their stop, and he studied his friend as the train made its way towards his. He didn’t seem any different than he remembered.

_Maybe… I’ve just been gone too long and he’s changed. Isn’t that what Futaba was saying?_

The car jolted as it stopped and Ryuji looked back at him and grinned. “That was fun, we should do it again sometime. Without the wasabi, of course.”

He watched him disappear into the crowd and Akira knew he needed answers then and there. He slipped between the doors as they closed and Futaba gave him a look of confusion and betrayal from behind the glass. He’d apologize to her later, he knew he wouldn’t get another opportunity like this.

“Ryuji! Ryuji, wait up!”

He looked for familiar blond hair among the crowd but forgot that he was letting it grow out again. The station had changed since he’d last been there and he didn’t recognize anything. He barely remembered which direction Ryuji lived in.

He let the crowd push him along until he came to a clearing and all but collapsed on a bench. How had so much changed in only a year?

He was ready to give up and just go home when he heard someone call his name.

“--kira? What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

“Uhh, sure. Shoot.”

“Not here, somewhere quieter.”

“What is this, some kind of love confession?” He saw Akira’s expression and realized he wasn’t joking. “Yeah, okay, there’s a spot over here.”

They made their way over and Akira tried to calm his breathing. There was no need to get so worked up, he was just talking with his friend.

“What’s up?”

“Where’d you get the money for today?”

His smile disappeared. “You too? I told you, my job! The hours are awful so they pay well, and--”

“Stop _lying_. We were best friends last year, just trust me and tell me the truth. I won’t be mad, no matter what you say.”

“I’m not lyi--”

“Stop it! I’ve wanted to believe you so badly all day, but I can’t just ignore this anymore! _Please_ just tell me where you got it.”

“...My job.”

“What job?”

“Convenience store. The 777 near my house.”

“I worked at the one in Shibuya last year, I know they don’t pay nearly enough for the kind of money you were throwing around today.”

“A lot’s changed since you’ve been gone.”

“I know, and I’m trying to figure things out. Help me fill in the pieces.”

The boy refused to look at him. “You’re gonna think I’m some kind of thug.”

“I’d never--”

“I stole it, okay?”

The words died in his throat. Of all the answers he was expecting, that wasn’t one of them.

“I stole it,” he repeated. “Last week. I was just going to blow it on games or something until you showed up and I realized I could actually do something nice for everyone.”

“But why? If you get caught, you’ll be fired and it’ll go on your record, and then colleges will see it and your scholarships--”

“I didn’t get any _fucking_ scholarships,” he spat. “I applied to as many as I could find, but I didn’t get any of them. I was too stupid for the academic ones and I can’t play sports with a busted leg.” His voice broke. “That money was the only way I was gonna be able to go to school, so I figured I had nothing left to lose. I raided the register during a night shift.”

“...I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I regretted it as soon as I got home, but by then it was too late. Even if I returned the money, they’d know it was me. Plus my prints were all over it so I couldn’t just drop it off anonymously or anything. So I figured I’d have some fun with it.”

“What are you going to do now? About school, I mean.”

“Not go, I guess. Or take some time off and save up a hell of a lot of money. Not like I can stay at the 777, though.”

“Is there nothing else?”

He sighed and finally picked up his head, and Akira realized just how tired he looked. “My mom already works two jobs just to provide for us. Even with me working after school, we were barely paying rent and feeding ourselves each month. I was gonna pick up a ton of shifts this summer to save some money so she wouldn’t have to work quite as hard when I went to school. Or… I was even going to commute to a nearby university to keep costs down, and work between classes and on weekends. I was willing to do anything, as long as I got to go. And now I don’t get to, and soon I won’t even have a job at all. And it’s going to be my fault that things get rough for her again.”

“How’d we end up like this?” Akira asked quietly. “We used to be on top of the world.”

“I dunno man. Something just… changed after you left.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”

“We were okay when you were in juvie, I guess ‘cause we had the goal of springing you. And then you came back and for a month things were perfect. But your probation finally ended and you left, and everybody just sort of… broke. Our leader was gone and we didn’t know what to do.”

“The point of a leader isn’t only to give orders, but make sure that his subordinates can function without him. I guess I messed that up.”

“It’s not just you, we should’ve tried harder. I think we all buried ourselves in something to forget that you were gone, and when it went away we found ourselves stuck ‘cause we never learned to move on. And now you’re back and you’ve changed without us and we don’t know what to do.”

He looked over at him and frowned. “What?”

“Not your fault, of course. We were the ones who got stuck when you were being all mature and growing up, and--”

“No, no, no. What do you mean I changed without you?”

“I mean… you’re different. You just seem happier. You smile a lot, and people can actually tell what you’re thinking now. I figured seeing your family again did that.”

He dragged a hand down his face. “You weren’t there when I got in… Futaba went to text you all and only Sojiro heard my story. And then Ann cut me off when I started to explain to everyone else.”

“Explain what? Dude, you’re freaking me out here.”

“Going back to my parents for a year wasn’t what helped me. I was _miserable_ , I spent every possible second out of the house, whether it was just staying after school or doing odd jobs.”

“Why?”

“My parents barely cared about me before the incident with Shido and the assault charge. I guess they wanted to make up for it when I got back, so they tried to get involved with my life. But how could I explain to them that I was the leader of the Phantom Thieves? That all of the friends I made were wanted criminals, as far as the law was concerned? I couldn’t tell them anything and we drifted again.”

“Then... “

He laughed. “This is all just a huge misunderstanding. You thought it was going back that made me happier, but it was coming back _here_ that did it. Seeing you guys again.”

“Holy shit.”

“Does everyone think that?”

“Probably!” Ryuji said, nervous laughter bubbling up. “You have to explain it to them. Like, as soon as you can.”

He grinned and leaned back, nearly falling off the bench. “I’ll do it some time this week. I’m sure I can convince everyone to stop by.”

Ryuji grew serious again. “Nobody will admit it, but it’s pretty clear we were all lost without you. Everyone else probably has some problems of their own.”

“Futaba told me last night that I might have to fix things. I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I have a feeling this is it.”

“Pity there’s no fixing what I’ve done,” he said bitterly. “One stupid mistake and it’s all over.”

“Did the cameras catch you?”

“‘Course not, they’re broken. Those stores don’t have a budget.”

“So nobody knows for sure it was you? Just that the money is missing?”

“I mean, I haven’t been fired yet.”

“Then there’s still time. We’ll work something out, I promise.”

They were interrupted as Akira’s phone rang and he muted it without looking.

“What if that was Sojiro wondering why the hell you abandoned Futaba on the train?”

“It wasn’t.”

“You sound pretty sure about that.”

“Call it intuition. I do need to get back, though. Think you could spot me the train fare?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the wasabi roll scene is actually something my dad experienced on a business trip a few months back, he went out to sushi with two of his friends and the chefs noticed they were being loud americans and made it way hotter than usual for them. everything is pulled almost directly from his story.
> 
> don't eat wasabi, kids
> 
> (ryuji im sorry but your interactions in-game with "the track team hates me uwu" were really lame and i needed to break you somehow)


	3. Tension

“Good afternoon, Akira.”

“Afternoon, Haru.”

Once the misunderstanding had been cleared up, most of his friends stopped being so uneasy around him. Haru was no exception, and she often stopped by Leblanc for coffee and to have Sojiro try the newest treat she’d baked. She was serious about opening a café and was always looking for ways to improve her menu. It resulted in meetups once a week where Akira gave her tips based on what Sojiro had taught him, and in return she gave him sweets and listened to his stories, even if she didn’t know what he was talking about. The others were welcome to join, so long as they brought some kind of snack and contributed to the conversation.

That week, it looked like it was just going to be Haru and Yusuke. The boy had brought chips that Akira recognized from the 777, not that he was going to complain. His store back home didn’t carry nearly as much as the ones in Tokyo and he’d missed certain foods.

He grabbed the bag and popped a chip in his mouth. “Before we get into the specifics about coffee, anything interesting happen lately?”

“I made the final payment to my school today, so it’s now official that I’ll be studying abroad this upcoming semester.”

“Fancy. And where will you be studying?”

“France, of course. They have some of the finest cuisine so I’m going to learn all I can while I’m over there.”

He nodded approvingly. “And you, Yusuke? Any new masterpieces you’re working on?”

The boy seemed torn from his thoughts. “Hmm? No… nothing right now.”

“You’ve barely touched the food,” Haru noted. “Is something wrong with it? I wasn’t completely sure about this recipe, if you have any suggestions I’d be open to hearing them--”

“No, I’m sure the food is wonderful as always. I just… don’t have much of an appetite at the moment.”

Akira tried to cover his laughter with a cough. “Yusuke, I’ve never seen you _not_ hungry. Everything alright?”

“Fine. Just thinking I might leave early this week, seeing as I’ve nothing to offer.”

“Aww c’mon, those aren’t real rules. You can just stay and listen if you want.”

“No, I think it’d be better for all of us.” He grabbed his bag and nodded to each of them before leaving.

Akira tried to get up after him but a hand on his arm stopped him.

“He’s always had a habit of skipping meals, you know.”

The boy frowned. “I thought he was getting better.”

“Why don’t you show me what you’ve learned from Sojiro this week?”

Her tone was too cheery and he gave her an accusatory look. “You know something.”

“I simply think it’d be best if you left Yusuke alone right now,” she said carefully.

He sighed. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be so simple to fix things between everyone.

“What were we talking about last week?”

She smiled brightly. “Bringing out the flavor of the beans with pour over coffee.”

* * *

Akira was nothing if not stubborn. As soon as Haru was gone he grabbed his phone and sent a series of texts to the other boy.

[Joker]: did you make it home okay?  
  
[Joker]: you worried us with how quickly you left  
  
[Joker]: im always willing to listen if you want to talk  
  
It didn’t take long for him to respond.

[Fox]: everything is fine, i made it home fine  
  
He kept his phone next to him but more messages never came. Something was clearly wrong if he was practically silent. Normally they couldn’t get him to _stop_ talking, whether it was about painting or just whatever was on his mind. He’d looked pale, too.

He made his way to the kitchen and was rummaging through the fridge when Morgana jumped up on the counter next to him. “That’s not for us, is it?”

“You didn’t see Yusuke, he looked sick.”

“And you’re going to… burn the sickness out of him with Boss’ really spicy curry?”

“I’ll make it mild.”

He was pretty sure the cat was pouting.

“I’ll save a bit for us, too.”

Although it had been awhile since he’d made it, he found that he knew exactly what he was doing. It helped that he’d memorized the recipe Sojiro gave him within a month of going home as a way to keep everything fresh in his mind.

He was done within the half hour and stuffed the tupperware in his old Shujin bag. He couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it, and so it had become his go-to bag outside of school. It felt fitting that he was still using it around Tokyo, even if he wasn’t a student anymore.

“Mona, I’ll be back tonight. Let Futaba know where I went if Boss asks, alright?”

“Hey, wait! You don’t have a key anymore, do you?”

“I’ll be back before the café is closed for the night. I’m just going to Yusuke’s, I won’t be long.”

The cat tried to protest but he was already gone, looking up which station he’d have to get off at.

* * *

Yusuke’s phone buzzed and he tried to ignore it. Akira had been strangely persistent all day and he wasn’t in the mood.

The texts were quickly replaced by calls and he gave in.

“Akira, I assure you, I’m fine--”

_“Please come downstairs.”_

“What?”

_“The guy out front won’t let me in unless you come down and prove you know me.”_

“Are you… outside right now?” He peeked out the window, and sure enough he could see the boy gesturing wildly at the man stationed in front of the building.

He hung up and hurried downstairs.

“He’s coming, I mean it!” Akira broke into a grin as he saw the other boy. “Yusuke!”

“It’s alright, Yuuto, he’s with me.”

Akira jumped at him a bit and he didn’t even flinch. “Your security guard friend isn’t human,” he said as they walked. “I don’t think I ever saw him blink.”

“He’s not my friend, but I can assure you he’s human. Just a little quiet, not unlike you last year.”

He frowned. “That was different.”

“Why are you here?” Yusuke asked. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but I thought I made it clear that I wished to be left alone.”

“You worried me with how you weren’t eating today. Oh, speaking of, I brought you some curry.”

They reached Yusuke’s room and Akira immediately started looking around the kitchen for bowls.

“Why are you here, anyway? With a guard posted out front, no less?”

“I’m sure you remember Mr. Kawanabe from the Japanese Art Support Foundation.”

“He offered to help guide and hone your skills but you turned him down.”

“Yes, well… after finishing my final year at Kosei, I found that I had no family to return to and no money with which to rent a place to stay. I turned to Mr. Kawanabe, and he’s let me stay here in exchange for becoming his student, at least on paper. I’m free to create what I want but I’m listed as a member of the foundation, and my popularity helps bring in more students. It also makes me look more devoted to my work if I stay here at the museum. The office isn’t bad, truly, it has everything I need and all the art supplies I could ask for just downstairs.”

“They’re using you.”

“It’s mutually beneficial. I’d be without a home, and I couldn’t dare ask Boss about the attic.”

Akira handed him the bowl and scowled into his own. “It doesn’t seem too different from when you were with Madarame.”

“This is nothing like that,” he said firmly.

“You look terrible. I suppose _everything you need_ doesn’t include food?”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand. My not eating has nothing to do with Mr. Kawanabe.”

“So you admit you’re not eating?”

“Akira--”

“What happened to last year, hmm? You said you wouldn’t be stained by desire because we were all your hope and we’d keep you on the right track. At least Haru knows you’re skipping meals and she didn’t seem inclined to step in. I’m sure the others know as well.”

“It’s a _choice_ \--”

“You look _sick_ , and instead of taking care of yourself you’re burying yourself in your work again. And you can’t even try to deny that when we’re surrounded by half-finished canvases!”

“I haven’t _earned it_!” he snapped, and immediately looked away.

“Yusuke--”

“I have nothing more to say to you. Thank you for the curry but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Yusuke, look at me--”

_“Good-bye, Akira.”_

“No,” he said quietly. “I’m not leaving.”

“Well I have no intention of talking about this any more.”

His shoulders slumped, and Akira realized just how tired he looked. The circles under his eyes were so dark they nearly rivaled his hair, and he looked thinner.

“...Your hair,” he said, more to himself. “Have you always dyed it?”

The boy gave him an odd look.

“I don’t think I realized-- I mean, I guess I figured that you _had_ to dye it, it couldn’t be naturally purple, but Futaba’s hair is like that and she doesn’t dye it-- at least, I don’t think she does… does she?”

_“Akira.”_

“Your roots are growing out. That’s where I was going with this.”

Yusuke pushed his bangs back and sighed. “I’ve been putting it off. I… don’t really know why. And it’s not just my hair. Nothing I draw turns out right, and the more I try, the more I find I don’t have the motivation to draw anything at all.”

“Does it have something to do with Madarame?”

Yusuke froze.

“There’s no point in pretending none of it ever happened. We were in that palace and you helped us take him down. I don’t know a lot about psychology, but I know that you need to accept things before you can move on, instead of just pushing them down and trying to forget about them.”

“This isn’t a matter of pretending. That _man_ was all I ever knew. He took me in when I was just a child and raised me as his own. I… I know that he’s not a good person. He treated me _terribly_ but I didn’t know anything else so I simply took it.”

His voice broke and Akira looked away.

“I know that his so-called teachings do more harm than good, but that doesn’t mean I can simply stop and move on. For fifteen years I was told that food is only deserved if you’ve done something to deserve it. And… I’ve done nothing to deserve it lately. I haven’t even finished a simple sketch.” He looked down at his untouched bowl of curry and his stomach growled.

“If you know that it’s wrong, why don’t you just…” He searched for the right words but none came to mind.

“I’ve tried. Many times. Eating makes me sick, sleep doesn’t come, and distracting myself with other things has me coming back to a blank canvas again and again. Of course I know it’s wrong, I’m not _stupid_. I just… can’t stop it.” He sighed. “Maybe I am stupid.”

“You’re not weak,” Akira said. “That’s what you’re probably thinking, right? But you’re not. I mean, the fact that you had a persona means your will is strong.”

“The metaverse is gone,” he said numbly. “Who knows if I’d even be able to call upon Goemon anymore?”

“Something tells me you would.”

The boy followed Akira’s gaze to a shelf full of things he’d sculpted awhile back. Among them was something that resembled a kitsune mask, but they knew better.

“What about Ann?” Akira asked. “She was your muse for awhile.”

“Yes, but she never did let me paint her the way I wanted… But it might be worth revisiting the past anyway.”

“She won’t let you draw her naked, no matter how many times you ask.”

“I could settle for clothed. It was her expression that drew me in, anyway. There’s something about her eyes.”

He seemed lost in his own world and Akira watched as he grabbed for some loose pencils and paper.

“Yusuke, stop for just a second. Promise me that no matter how little or how much of your sketch you get done, you’ll eat afterwards.”

He looked up at the boy. “...I promise. Oh, where did I put my phone! It had the perfect photo on it-- Can you hit the lights? When did it get so dark in here?”

It was a step in the right direction.

He glanced at his own phone as he started towards the station and swallowed thickly as he realized how late it was. He would never make it back to Leblanc in time, even if the trains were on time for once.

He nervously scrolled through his contacts. _Ryuji would be willing to let me spend the night, probably, but it’s just him and his mother and I wouldn’t want to intrude… Ann is out of town for another modeling gig… Yusuke barely has enough room for himself… Makoto is close and might be willing, but then I’d have to see Sae-san if she’s home… Haru definitely has room but we had that argument today…_

He chewed his lip as he went back and forth in his head. There was really only one option, but as he made the call he wasn’t sure if sleeping on a bench somewhere would really be so bad after all.

_Don’t pick up, don’t pick up, don’t--_

_“You don’t usually call. Is something wrong?”_

He grimaced. “I was hanging out with Yusuke and I missed the last train, and I’m sure Boss will have locked up the café by the time I get back and I don’t have a key anymore… Is there any way I could sleep at your place tonight?”

* * *

Sae opened the door, and any hopes he’d had of avoiding her were dashed. “Thank you for letting me stay the night,” he said, bowing his head.

“It’s not a problem,” she assured him. “Makoto is back in her room.”

He nodded and started back, and froze as Sae called his name.

“...You look well.”

“Thanks to you, and everyone else.”

Makoto’s room hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d seen it. He found her sitting at her desk with headphones on. He cleared his throat and she jumped.

“I didn’t hear you come in, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I got to see your sister. Though I can never tell what she’s thinking, it’s unnerving.”

She gave a quiet laugh. “She asks about you a lot, you know.”

He flopped back onto the bed and frowned. “Why?”

“You brought me out of my shell, you stole her heart, and you saved us all.”

“ _Joker_ did two of those.”

“Isn’t he just another version of yourself?”

“So what were you working on?” he asked suddenly, sitting up.

It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it. “Just making sure everything is in place for my internship next month. Normally I just help out campus police, but since it’s summer break I get to help with the actual police department in the area and work in records and evidence processing and interviews.”

“You’re serious about this police commissioner thing.”

“Of course! It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”

Her voice cracked but he chose to ignore it. “I’ll just sleep on the couch, so we don’t have to fight over the bed or anything--”

“Nonsense! You’re the guest and you’re taking the bed. I get up at night, anyway, and wouldn’t want to wake you if you slept in the living room.”

“Makoto--”

“This isn’t an argument. It’s an order.”

“I was your superior officer--” he protested.

“I’m your senior and you’ll do as I say. And I say you’re taking the bed.”

He sighed and fell back again. “Fine. Does that mean I get the buchimaru-kun plushie?”

Makoto snatched it off the bed and hugged it, and he grinned. “Only kidding. I wouldn’t dare separate you and your precious panda.”

“Do you want anything to eat? Or if you’re tired now I can collect my things and you can sleep,” she said, still hugging the bear.

“I might take you up on that,” he said through a yawn. “I had a fight with Haru, and then I cooked for awhile, and then I helped Yusuke with some of his problems, and now I’m here and I’m exhausted.”

She grabbed her laptop and one of the pillows off the bed. “I doubt any of my pajamas would really fit you, but you’re welcome to look in the middle drawer if you want something other than those clothes.”

He made a noncommittal sounding noise and she tried not to laugh.

“Night, Akira.”

“Night… Thank you…”

He heard the door close and rolled onto his back. Moonlight illuminated the room, much more than he was used to at Leblanc or at home.

He dragged himself to his feet and closed the curtains, and was about to lie down again when his phone rang. He muted it without even looking and tossed it on the table.

* * *

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he was woken up by footsteps outside the door. The clock above the headboard read _2:06 AM_ , and he closed his eyes and tried to ignore it.

They persisted and he forced himself up. He grabbed the pillow as a means of defending himself and slowly opened the door to find…

Makoto pacing in the hallway.

She noticed him quickly and avoided meeting his gaze. “Did I wake you?”

“I was getting something to drink,” he lied. “Why are you still up?”

“I was sleeping, I just… had a dream.”

He couldn’t see well in the dim light but he had a feeling she wasn’t being truthful either. He noticed she wasn’t looking at her feet like she tended to do when she was caught off guard, and instead was looking… at the wall behind him. He turned but there was nothing there, unless he just couldn’t see it without his glasses.

“ _Akira_ ,” she hissed.

“ _What_.”

“ _Why aren’t you wearing pants_.”

“ _Oh_. Sleeping in jeans is uncomfortable.”

“I told you to look in my-- I’m not having this discussion with you like this. Just get your water or something. Please. The cups are in the corner cabinet.”

He watched as she went back to the couch and opened her laptop. He got a glass of water, since he was committed to that lie now, and went back to the room.

_Just woke up from a dream, hmm? And that’s why you had four tabs and a document open._

Why was everyone so inclined to lie to him? He’d thought he’d fixed things between everyone after explaining what had happened back home. He knew they’d all grown apart in the year he was gone and that things couldn’t go back to exactly the way they were, but were they unable to even move forward?

He had a feeling he wouldn’t be sleeping much the rest of the night.

* * *

He made sure he hadn’t left anything behind and gently closed the door behind him. Makoto was still asleep on the couch and he made his way over to the front door, avoiding the squeaky floorboard he stepped on every time he visited.

“Leaving so soon?” came a voice from behind him.

He whipped around and nearly knocked over the umbrellas stacked in the corner. “Sae-san,” he breathed.

She raised her coffee mug to him. “I didn’t take you for an early riser.”

“I’m not,” he admitted, “but I didn’t want to intrude any longer.”

“Not even to stay for breakfast?”

“I have a feeling Sojiro is waiting for me back at Leblanc, and not with open arms and a plate of curry. I sort of… disappeared yesterday.”

She smiled. “You have a habit of disappearing, don’t you?”

“Not intentionally.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you. Do stop by again, though. I’d like to catch up with you.”

“You’re both too loud,” came a muffled voice from the couch.

“I’m surprised it took this long for you to get up,” Sae teased.

She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and shuffled over to them in the kitchen. “You weren’t the one up until two in the morning working on stuff for school.”

“I thought you said you were only up because of a nightmare,” Akira said.

“Did I say that? I meant… the nightmare of schoolwork.”

“Aren’t you on _break_? Surely not even you have work when you haven’t even chosen your classes yet.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting back to Leblanc? I thought Sojiro was waiting to murder you.”

He stuck out his tongue at her but knew that she had a point. He quickly said goodbye to Sae again and all but ran to the station. If Sojiro didn’t kill him, Morgana or Futaba definitely would.

“Speaking of your schoolwork,” Sae said as he left, “when will your grades be available?”

Makoto nearly choked on her coffee. “They didn’t give a concrete date. These were mostly entry level classes so they had a lot of students in them, it’ll probably take awhile.”

Sae didn’t say anything and just took another sip of hers. She knew her sister was lying, of course, but she never lied without good reason. She’d just let her, for the time being.

* * *

He took a deep breath, put his shoulders back, and walked in like nothing was out of the ordinary. He’d almost made it to the stairs when Sojiro cleared his throat without even looking up.

“Have fun last night?”

He winced. “I don’t have a key, and by the time I realized how late it was--”

“I don’t really care what you do while you’re here, it’s not like you’re on probation anymore and I have to keep you out of trouble. Just come back at night or call and let me know not to wait for you.”

“You… waited?”

“For quite a while, I’ll admit.”

“Sorry.”

The man sighed and dug in his pocket. He tossed something at him and chuckled as he nearly dropped it. “I thought you were the leader of the Phantom Thieves, stealthy and agile.”

“That was just in the metaverse,” he mumbled. He opened his hands and realized what it was.

“That’s your copy, by the way. From last year. Just keep it this time, I already had another one made. But still call if you’re not coming back!”

He tried to hide his smile. “Thank you.”

“You look awful, go put your stuff upstairs and take a bath or something.”

He dropped his bag on the bed and turned around to find Morgana watching him, tail lashing angrily.

He knew a simple apology wouldn’t be able to save him that time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy valentines day, my gift to all of you is more suffering
> 
> (you know you love it)
> 
> i desperately want to explore the relationship between sae and akira now that he's out of solitary, especially since she knows his past but was the one to save him. maybe in makoto's chapter. 
> 
> next up is ann and hers is the sort of breather chapter. there's still an issue to resolve but akira gets the break he deserves. its also where we're incorporating some of the actual places i wanted to include back when this was a road trip AU


	4. Talk

[Panther]: heard sojiro almost killed you yesterday~ what did you do this time

[Joker]: worry more about what morgana might do to me, im amazed he didnt claw me in my sleep. i disappeared on them yesterday to visit yusuke and missed the last train so i had to spend the night with makoto

[Panther]: SCANDALOUS give me all the details rn

[Joker]: not like that. what do you want anyway

[Panther]: what makes you think i want something

[Joker]: you never text first unless you want something

[Panther]: FINE you know me so well. you doing anything today?

[Panther]: Attachment: 1 Image

She sent him a picture of her holding three tickets to Zoorasia with a pleading look.

[Joker]: three?

[Panther - 11:19 AM: you, me, and shiho!

[Panther]: the zoo wont take up the whole day so theres a theme park nearby too~

He cursed under his breath and smiled. She knew his weaknesses so well.

[Joker]: fine, when are we meeting up

[Panther]: yes! the train takes you like half an hour right? lets meet up at noon in front of the station

Oh, he had a feeling he was going to regret this.

* * *

“Akira! Over here!”

He saw Ann frantically waving him down and hurried over before they got any more weird looks.

“You really didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“Why not?”

“Besides the fact that you’re the only person here with blonde hair?”

She stuck her tongue out at him and Shiho laughed, and he noticed the girl for the first time.

“He has a point, Ann…”

“Don’t side with him on this! You’re supposed to be on my side, even if I’m wrong!”

“Does that mean you know you’re wrong here?” Akira teased.

“No! I mean-- You tricked me!”

“Well, I was the Trickster.” He turned to Shiho. “You’re looking well, if I may say so myself. I think the lack of a knee brace truly completes the look you have going on.”

Ann whacked him on the back of the head and he tried to stifle his laughter.

“It’s fine,” the girl assured him. “Thank you for noticing. I also enjoy not having to wear a knee brace that clashes with everything I wear.”

“What train are we taking? We’d better hurry if we don’t want to miss it.”

“Fear not, you won’t be missing any trains today. I may not be able to get my license for another four months, but Shiho has hers and has graciously offered to drive us today.”

“That’s the only reason you invited her, isn’t it?”

_“No!”_

They all kept laughing and joking as they piled into the girl’s car, with Ann claiming shotgun. _I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed this familiarity,_ Akira thought.

“How long is the drive going to take, do you think?”

“About forty minutes, as long as the traffic isn’t terrible.”

“Wake me up when we get there.”

_“Akira!”_

He ignored the outbursts and things Ann threw at him, trying and failing to hide his smile.

She watched as he actually fell asleep with her music blaring and the car jostling him around.

“That’s honestly impressive,” the other girl said. “I wish I could fall asleep anywhere like that.”

“Yeah, Morgana trained him well,” Ann muttered.

“Who?”

* * *

“Akira! Wake up!”

There was no reaction and she carefully leaned back and stole his glasses, which were sliding off his nose.

“Ann, that’s mean,” Shiho hissed.

“It’s fine, they’re not even prescription. He just wears them because they make him look smarter. See?”

She put them on and instantly drew back at how blurry everything was. “These… are definitely prescription.”

He blinked the haze away and squinted at her. “Why are you--”

“You said last year that these were just for fashion! We made you take your glasses off at the fireworks festival because you refused to wear a yukata! Oh my god, could you even see then? Did we make you walk around and you couldn’t see anything? Answer me! This is important!”

“If you want me to answer you have to let me get a word in,” he said through a yawn.

“Akira!”

He laughed. “ _Those_ are prescription, yes, and I’d like them back, please. What I told you last year was that my glasses were fake and were meant to make me look less like a delinquent--because I wasn’t one. What you’re forgetting is that I also wore contacts.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t _scare_ me like that!”

“This only happened because you stole my glasses in the first place,” he said, snatching them back.

“The zoo closes at 4:30 and I’ve heard it takes a few hours to see everything, so if you’re done arguing or flirting or whatever it is you’re doing--” Shiho interrupted.

“We were _not_ flirting!” Ann cried, sounding absolutely horrified. Akira wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take offense at that or not.

They got through the line and Akira grabbed a couple maps off the desk of the woman stamping their hands when she wasn’t looking. It looked like some of his skills translated to outside the metaverse after all.

Ann immediately grabbed one of the maps from him and spread it out on a nearby picnic table. “It looks like the full walk around the zoo is about two miles. Shiho, do you think you can handle that?”

“There’s places to stop and sit in the shade, too,” Akira pointed out.

“I should be fine,” she assured them. “And if I do have to take a break, you two could always go on ahead and I’ll catch up.”

“Akira might be that heartless, but I am _not_ leaving you behind,” Ann said sharply.

“I didn’t say anything!”

The girl laughed. “I get it, you won’t abandon me. I appreciate it.”

Ann was already on to the next thing. “They have red foxes! We’ll have to take pictures for Yusuke. Oh, and the big cats for Morgana, of course.”

“You mentioned him before. Does he like cats?”

Akira tried to cover his laughter with a cough. “You could say that.”

“It looks like it’s a straight path through. Shall we be on our way?” Ann asked dramatically, offering a hand to Shiho.

The girl giggled and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “Just tell me if I’m too slow for you guys, I still need to work on keeping up with people.”

Neither of them dared tell her, even if her pace was a bit slower than Akira was used to. It was good enough that she was walking at all, without any braces and with only a slight limp.

The zoo was unlike any he’d been to before, with huge enclosures and the animals looking genuinely content. They all laughed at things like proboscis monkeys and meerkats, and watched in awe as the seals and penguins did tricks underwater for treats.

They were probably about three quarters of the way through when Shiho started to get tired. She wouldn’t admit it but it was clear by her furrowed brow and labored breaths. He knew what it was like to be too proud to ask for help.

“Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested. “It’s pretty hot out here today, I need a minute to catch my breath.”

“I’ll get us all some water,” Ann said. “There should be a place just ahead. You two can stay here.”

“Thank you,” Shiho said as the other girl disappeared ahead.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, not looking at her. “I meant what I said, it’s hot out and we could all use a minute in the shade.”

“I’m being serious. Thank you for not treating me like I’m some kind of fragile doll.”

“I might not know exactly what you went through, but I went through some stuff of my own,” he said quietly. “Those men in suits… they said they needed me alive, but that didn’t mean I had to be in one piece by the end of it. And I’ve still got scars to show for it. One of them nearly broke my leg, and I was supposed to stay off of it for _weeks_. I was going insane cooped up in Leblanc and ended up borrowing some crutches from this doctor I knew, and I went around town. Sojiro was about ready to kill me when I got back, but I just needed that hour of _freedom_.”

“Ann told me it was all in the plan for you to get caught, but she was really shaken up once it actually happened and wouldn’t tell me why. I had no idea.”

“I know what it’s like to be full of pride, or maybe just stubbornness. But… people really mean it when they say that they’re there for you. All you have to do is ask.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

Ann froze where she was and grinned as she saw the two of them talking. She didn’t feel nearly as bad about exploiting Akira if they were getting along.

Had she actually told him her plan? She couldn’t remember. She probably had.

* * *

  
“I still can’t believe how adorable the okapis were,” Shiho said. “I was expecting them to look weird, but that was pretty cute.”

“Mascot of the zoo! Okay, so… I kind of promised Akira we’d go to Cosmo World, at least for a little bit. You up for some more driving? I guess I can’t really take over…”

“It’s fine, you told me you might have to bribe him to come along.”

“Is that what you think of me? That you can just bribe me to do whatever you want with something like the promise of riding a rollercoaster?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Well, _no_ , but I’m still insulted. It’s not my fault I live in the middle of nowhere and there aren’t any amusement parks close by.”

“It’s okay, Akira, I’d probably go along with whatever Ann told me if she promised we’d get crepes at the end,” Shiho said with a laugh.

“You’re both making me sound like some kind of villain,” Ann mumbled.

“We both love you the way you are,” the other girl soothed.

At that Akira thought he saw her blushing.

“Alright, wake me up when we get there again.”

“Akira Kurusu, do not close your eyes again, I swear--”

* * *

“Shiho, grab me the pen out of my purse.”

“Why do you bully him like this?”

“Because I haven’t seen him in a year and I need to make up for lost time, and also he needs to learn to stop falling asleep around me.”

“Didn’t he say he had to stay with someone else last night? He probably didn’t sleep well and he’s just catching up--”

“Little known fact about Akira: he is always tired. No matter where he is or what he’s doing, if he has the chance to take a nap somewhere, he will. We learned this the hard way in school last year. Several teachers were ready to kill him, if his grades weren’t so good.”

The girl made no move to grab it and she stuck out her tongue and got it herself. “It’s not like I’m gonna draw anything bad on him,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I was just thinking cat whiskers or something stupid.”

She looked back and realized Akira was glaring at her. “This is how you repay my kindness? With cat whiskers?”

“What kindness?” she scoffed.

“I bought you lunch!”

“With a coupon I brought.”

“Really? Again?” Shiho said. “You fight like an old married couple.”

Ann whipped around. “Don’t ever accuse me of that, or I’ll never speak to you again.”

Akira dragged himself up and popped his neck, and his eyes went wide. “Look at that ferris wheel! How tall do you think that is? Couple hundred feet?”

He showed much more enthusiasm than he did at the zoo and it was clear. He could barely wait for them to catch up and immediately bought a pass so he wouldn’t have to pay per ride.

“What do you guys want to ride first? That rollercoaster is calling me…”

“How about we save that for when we haven’t just had lunch an hour ago? Just looking at the drop makes me want to throw up.”

“You could always go on ahead,” Shiho said.

He looked a little disappointed but perked up again quickly. “Nah, I’ll probably ride it a bunch of times so I want the first to be with you guys. We could do the spinning swings or something? They’re pretty tame in comparison but still fun.”

“Swings sound fun,” Shiho said before Ann could protest.

Ann did not think the swings were fun but knew that she’d promised Akira and couldn’t spoil his fun now. Especially if she was going to need his help later.

They all took seats close to each other and he was practically bouncing with excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him so happy about _anything_.

“Were you always this into theme parks?”

“Last year kind of made me really appreciate things that thrill you like this,” he admitted.

“You turned into an adrenaline junkie.”

He didn’t get to respond as the ride started up.

She swallowed down her nausea as their feet left the ground and looked over to see Shiho smiling. _If she can do this, I can do this._

Then she looked at Akira in front of them and realized he had his hands in the air and was looking back at them and grinning. _...Can’t do that. The safety bar is there to be held._

“Rollercoaster?” he asked as soon as they touched down, before they were even out of the gate.

“Are you just going to ask that after every ride until we give in?”

“If I say yes, will you agree to it sooner?”

“You’d better just humor him,” Shiho said, laughing.

“Fine. But I’m only riding it once!”

* * *

Her hands shook as the attendant strapped them in. Of course Akira had insisted that they sit in the very front car, where she could actually see the track disappear.

She squeaked as they jolted forward and up the hill. She was pretty sure she was hyperventilating. Akira was completely oblivious, but Shiho grabbed her hand.

Finally, they reached the top, and…

Nothing. They just went forward. No big drop or anything. Maybe she’d gotten worked up over nothing.

“Here it comes!” Akira cried.

And then her head snapped back as they dropped and she _screamed_. She risked a glance to the left and immediately squeezed her eyes shut. The tracks went underground.

She thought she heard Akira laughing as they dropped.

Thankfully, the rest of the coaster passed quickly and they finally came to a stop and she heard the loudspeaker instructing them on how to unfasten their belts.

She slowly let go of Shiho’s hand and opened her eyes to find the two of them staring at her.

“You okay?”

“Ann, you should’ve told me you didn’t like rollercoasters! Shit, I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have made you get on if I knew! I just thought it would be fun.”

She waved them off and sat against the wall until her stomach stopped threatening to bring up her lunch. “I am never doing that again,” was all she said.

They guided her out of the line and to a bench nearby, and Shiho left to get her some water. Akira sat next to her and rubbed her back as she kept her head down.

“I really am sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she muttered. “I should’ve said something.”

“So I don’t mean to kick you when you’re already down, but you’ve seemed kind of… uppity today? Like whenever Shiho jokes about us fighting you get really defensive, and it’s like you’re trying too hard to have fun. I don’t want to assume here, but… do you… like me?”

She nearly choked. “No! I mean, no.”

“Okay, good, because I’d have to turn you down and I didn’t want that to impact our friendship.”

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, sitting up again. “Is it really that obvious that I’m trying too hard?”

“I mean, I spent a year analyzing what people thought so I could know what act to put on around them.”

“You’re shameless.”

“That’s what it was. Why try to sugarcoat it?”

“I… I like Shiho. And I wanted to tell her today, but I knew that I’d probably chicken out, the same way that I have every time I try, and so I wanted you here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve been a wingman for you! Instead I was just doing my own thing.”

“No offense, but I can’t even imagine you doing that. I just wanted you as moral support but now she’s seen me nearly cry over a rollercoaster.”

He frowned. “So what? You’ve been there for her for worse.”

“This isn’t like when she jumped. She’s already seen me at my low points. This is just… embarrassing.”

“She held your hand during that, didn’t she?”

“How did you--”

“I told you, I analyze people. The airhead thing is just an act. I wanted Shiho to feel comfortable so I tried to be more friendly than usual.”

“You’re… terrifying, sometimes.”

“So I’ve been told. Anyway, I don’t think you’ve completely blown your chances yet. I wouldn’t exactly be upset if we happened to stay until the sun went down and they lit up the ferris wheel. Nor would I say anything if you guys went on some of the tamer rides together and I rode the rollercoaster again.”

She laughed. “Maybe you’re not a terrible wingman.”

“Oh, she’s coming back. Do you want to hit me so it looks like we were arguing again?”

She just smiled softly. “I don’t think I have to put on that act anymore.”

* * *

“Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t recommend any more thrill rides--”

“I already don’t like where this is going.”

“-- _but_ we should totally get a picture of us from today, and the log flume has a camera built into it.”

“The sun’s going to go down in like half an hour, we’ll freeze if we get soaked now.”

He put an arm around Ann’s shoulder and gently dragged her away from the table. “This would be a great opportunity for you to give your jacket to Shiho.”

“What kind of godawful romance movies have you been watching? I’m not going to freeze my butt off just so she can wear my sweatshirt.”

“Fine, but I do want to get a picture of the three of us. And then maybe some of just the two of you.”

“There’s a photo booth in the main building, we can take some pictures before we go home.”

“You know… it takes about fifteen minutes to go around the ferris wheel, and the sun is already starting to go down…”

She punched his arm. “Quiet! I don’t want her to hear.”

“All I’m saying is that now’s your chance.”

“Fine, I’ll ask. And what are you gonna do so she’s not suspicious?”

“Probably bribe the guy running the ferris wheel so you can get a basket alone with her--”

“Akira!”

“Kidding! Maybe. I’ll just go on the rollercoaster a few more times or something. It looks like the line has really died down since the sun’s going down.”

Ann took a deep breath and he watched as she went back over to Shiho. He couldn’t hear them but the other girl looked over at him. Ann waved her hands and pointed to the rollercoaster and he smiled. Her acting skills had only gotten better.

...Though still not great, if Shiho’s confused look was anything to go by.

He got up and started towards the ride, disappointed he wouldn’t get to actually see them get on the ferris wheel. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make, though.

_...No it’s not_ , he thought. As soon as he was sure they were gone, he doubled back and sat in the shadow of the main building.

* * *

Ann wiped her hands on her pants for what felt like the hundredth time. Her heart was racing and all she could hear was her breathing.

She was going to do it. She was going to tell Shiho how she felt. She just had to keep her nerve until they reached the top.

“Ann, look.”

She was torn from her thoughts as she realized they were next in line. “After you,” she said, her voice only shaking a little.

She sat across from Shiho and grabbed the railing with one hand as the attendant locked the door and they began to move.

“You’ve seemed pretty jumpy all day. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” the girl teased.

“It’s not the heights. Not exactly, anyway.”

They stopped as more people got on and her grip on the railing tightened as they swung a bit.

“Then what is it?”

“How come _you’re_ not freaking out? After what happened last year?”

“You and Akira helped me past that. That voice is gone from my head.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at her friend. “...Is that why you don’t like heights? Because you’re worried for me?”

“Not _for_ you, no. I just… can’t get that day out of my head. And whenever I’m really high up like this, especially in something open like this, I just… see it again.”

Shiho grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Ann, that will _never_ happen again. I promise. You can let go of the past now.”

“Does that mean I have to let go of the railing?” she joked, her voice cracking.

They started moving again and she watched as they got closer and closer to the top.

_You can do this. You’ve been planning this for months._

They stopped right near the top and she took a deep breath and slowly let go of the railing.  
Shiho was looking out at the city skyline, practically grinning from ear to ear. “I get why Akira was so excited about this now. I can’t believe he’s missing this!”

“Actually I wanted to talk about that.”

She turned around and her smile wavered. “I already know how you feel about him. It’s okay, I think he’s great.”

“What?”

“You asked me up here to see what I thought of him, right? He’s sweet, and I think you should go for it.”

“You think I… _like_ him?”

“You don’t? You two have such a natural chemistry between you--”

“Shiho, that’s because we were teammates, and we’re friends. God, he said the same thing earlier today!”

“Then--”

“I asked Akira to let us have this so I could be with _you_.”

* * *

He watched for a familiar mess of blonde hair and stood up as he saw them. Both girls were blushing.

_Did she make a move and get turned down? Oh no, she said she’d been planning this for forever…_

“Ann! Shiho!” he called.

“You really didn’t have to do that, you know,” the girl teased.

“Why not?”

“Besides the fact that you’re the only person here with those stupid looking glasses?”

He stuck his tongue out at her and Shiho laughed, and he realized that the two of them were holding hands.

He glanced at Ann, who was beaming.

It looked like her plan had worked after all.

“Now we definitely have to get pictures together.”

* * *

“Thank you for coming with us today,” Ann said quietly.

Akira glanced in his mirror and saw that Shiho was asleep on the girl’s shoulder. She was exhausted after walking around so much and he’d offered to drive them home.

“Not a problem. I had a lot of fun.”

“We talked a little bit while we were up there. About her, and what happened last year,” she admitted. “She told me some things I hadn’t even realized, and I think we can finally move past everything that’s happened.”

They drove in silence after that, and she didn’t speak again until they were nearly home.

“I know I’ve been busy with work, but everyone’s been telling me about all the stuff you’ve been doing with them.”

“Trust me, you didn’t miss much with that wasabi roll--”

“Can you be serious for a second?”

That was an odd request, coming from Ann.

“I know we were all a little lost without you, and that you’ve been helping everyone. What about you, though? You were gone for a year, and you’ve definitely changed. Is there anything we can help you with?”

He hoped she didn’t notice how he flinched. “I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

He could tell that she didn’t believe him.

They were interrupted by his phone ringing and he tossed it back at Ann. “Mute that for me, would you?”

Instead she answered it. “Hello?”

“ _Hey_! Hang up! Now!”

She’d never heard him snap like that before and she did as she was told. “...Sorry.”

He swallowed thickly. “No, I shouldn’t have yelled. Just forget about it.”

“Who was that?”

“...My parents.”

“What? You’ve gotta call them back!”

“They just want to know where I am.”

“Akira!” she cried. “Did you just leave without telling them? Is that why you showed up the day after graduation?”

“Hey, I told them where I was going.”

“Then why do they keep calling you?”

He couldn’t keep the venom out of his tone. “Because they think now is a great time to get involved in my life, after ignoring me for eighteen years.”

“What do you--”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not now, anyway, we’re at Shiho’s. Are you taking the train back to your place or just staying here?”

She glanced at the girl still asleep in her lap. “I don’t think she’d let me leave.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Are the trains even running this late?”

“I’ll be fine. Good night, Ann. Thanks for inviting me today, I really did have fun.”

She watched as he wandered off, and not towards the station.

_You’ve helped us so much… Please let us help you in return._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so Persona 5 Royal has consumed my life, just as the original did two years ago. the good news is i have about six ideas i want to write, this being one of them. the bad news is that i'd already had this chapter written three months ago and i'm not sure when i'll actually come back to this. the OTHER good news is i'm back on my bullshit and already writing another angsty piece.
> 
> now then, onto the actual notes for this chapter.
> 
> both zoorasia and yokohama cosmoworld are real places, they look super cool, i had to google translate so many maps to figure out what the attractions actually were. the ferris wheel used to be the tallest one in japan until a few years ago. 
> 
> umm. i haven't actually finished Royall yet, i'm still in late november so we haven't found the keywords to shido's palace yet. please refrain from putting spoilers in the comments (if there would be reason to at all, considering this is a post-canon fic)
> 
> k thanks i'll have angst for you later

**Author's Note:**

> Akira, T-posing at me from the corner: Atlus said it's my turn to be happy and well-adjusted
> 
> Listen, I said 2020 was the year we gave Akira the break he deserves, and I *meant* it! He deserves to be more than just a silent protagonist who goes through hell every time I open up Google Docs. This fic is about growth, and also it lets me write him like an actual person who shows emotion and goes off on tangents and just gets to act like everyone else.
> 
> Fun fact: this was supposed to be a Road Trip AU for NaNoWriMo that obviously didn't pan out. Partially because I was working almost every day and partially because Japan is too small for a real road trip where the bonding comes from the hours on the road with nothing to do but talk and judge each others music tastes. Now it's been transformed into this, where some of the stops will stay (i.e. the yokohama zoo like Ann mentioned) but I also get to work in the familiarity of Tokyo and just how much things have changed since Akira was gone.
> 
> I'm excited for this one. I hope you are too.


End file.
